Football Wyscout Performance Analysis

The Rise of Retegui

12 Nov, 2024

3 Min Read

By L'Ultimo Uomo

In this article, we dissect the numbers behind Serie A’s surprise leading goalscorer and analyze the evolution of the Atalanta attacker.

Mateo Retegui's signing by Atalanta initially seemed like a desperate move. Just four days earlier, Gianluca Scamacca, the main striker for Gasperini’s team, had suffered a serious knee injury, and Retegui appeared to be the best the market had to offer for a figure not much over 35 million euros.

His experience in Serie A was limited: just one season with a defensive team like Genoa, where he had managed to score only 7 goals in 29 appearances. Before that, Retegui had netted 30 goals for Tigre in Argentina and had even been called up by Roberto Mancini, then coach of the Italian national team, to address Italy’s chronic shortage of forwards.

Until a few months ago, Retegui didn't inspire much enthusiasm. But today, he’s the league’s top scorer, with 11 goals in 12 appearances.

Retegui tops Direct and Expected Goal Involvements in Serie A - Wyscout Rankings

Against Napoli, he only played fourteen minutes but closed out the 3-0 win for Atalanta at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona with a right-footed finish, a volley he kept low and directed toward the far post with a slight curve.

Just a week earlier, he had scored twice with his left foot against Verona: one shot was a precise low drive from outside the box, and the other was a tap-in from within the penalty area. Before that, against Venezia, he lobbed the goalkeeper with a delicate chip—a technical skill that previously didn’t seem part of his repertoire.

At the start of the season, however, Retegui had primarily scored with headers (against Lecce, Torino, and Fiorentina). Right foot, left foot, or headers: this season, Retegui seems to have discovered a new ability to turn nearly every chance he gets into gold.

Retegui’s shots are almost always well-angled or just under the crossbar. He compensates for a lack of power with precision.

Mateo Retegui has made the most of every opportunity to step up his game. He arrived in Italy as a 24 year old, an age where there’s still room for learning and improvement. It could also be said that he benefited from the skepticism and elitism of the Italian public, surprising them with his current performances.

He had been labeled as a more physical than technical center-forward, skilled in the box but not exactly a true goalscorer. He was expected to fit with a smaller team, one fighting to avoid relegation. Instead, he’s found this new level in a team that’s the reigning Europa League champion.

Throughout 2024, his xG per 90 minutes has been 0.52. But with Genoa, he only exceeded his xG average four times in fourteen matches and often fell well short. At Atalanta, however, he’s already surpassed his average five times in twelve games, rarely falling far below. He doesn’t just get better chances; his overall play is smoother and simpler, thanks to Gasperini's team's network of off-the-ball movement and positioning.

Retegui drives into the box with the ball from the wings, then angles his shots to keep them out of the goalkeeper’s reach.

Retegui’s on-field movement has improved, allowing him to rely less on dribbling. He’s admirably filling in for Scamacca even in areas where he was expected to struggle the most: playing with his back to goal and outside the penalty box.

But even in the box, his presence has gained quality. Against Monza, he provided an assist to Samardzic, receiving a low cross from the left, shielding the ball with one defender on his back and another closing in, and then calmly passing to his teammate at the edge of the box.

Or consider his assist for Frattesi in the Nations League match between Italy and France. After a blistering transition following a midfield recovery, Retegui, from the right side of the penalty area, delivered a precise cross between Saliba and Konaté to his teammate. As the environment around him has improved, Mateo Retegui has improved as well.

Now that we know him better, we understand that he’s a player best suited for a direct, high-paced team that provides a high volume of touches and movements nearby to mask his individual limitations.

He may not be the most physically imposing or technically refined number 9 in European football, but he’s one of the most well-rounded and one of those who knows best how to play with his teammates.

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